Learning to Fall
by Alli Capri
Summary: Young Elladan and Elrohir go on a 'hunting' trip with Glorfindel.


Learning to Fall  
  
by Alli Capri  
  
Summary: Glorfindel and the twins go on a 'hunting' trip.  
  
Disclaimer: Nothing that looks even remotely familiar is mine. I do not have money, nor do I make any. Ask my college, they'll tell you all about how I haven't finished paying for classes.  
  
Special Thanks: To Dragon for beta reading and for getting me interested in someone other than Legolas. To my little brother and sister for the 'parenting' experience.  
  
Feedback: Is much appreciated. If you see something you love/like/dislike/think needs work please tell me. As a perfectionist I forever strive to improve.  
  
And now on to the story.  
  
***  
  
The summer sun shone brightly on the trees and flowers of the Imladris gardens, and on the fair hair of the Elf-lord standing in their midst. Glorfindel lifted his face to the light and closed his eyes, enjoying its warmth and the sweet scent of nectar in the air. A peaceful moment alone was a rarity in the Elven haven and he lingered happily in his inattentive state longer than he should have.  
  
"Glorfindel!" A child's cry broke the quiet and he turned just in time to catch the small bundle of energy disguised as a dark haired elfling that flew into his arms. He staggered slightly, but would have remained standing had there been only one. Then the twin of the elfling he was holding crashed into him, sending all three to the ground. He twisted to take the impact on his side and to avoid falling on the twins.  
  
Momentarily winded, he stayed sprawled on the ground when the elflings' father appeared from around a bend in the path. A smile was creeping onto the face of Lord Elrond despite his best efforts and Glorfindel had no doubts about who had encouraged Elladan and Elrohir to tackle him. He glared at Elrond, but took the helping hand when it was offered.  
  
"Are you hurt, Glorfy?" Elrohir asked, for it had been his weight that had toppled the blond elf. Glorfindel brushed himself off with as much dignity as he could muster and smiled at the elfling.  
  
"No, I am not hurt. I know how to take a fall."  
  
"I can fall, too!" Elladan cried and threw himself backward. Glorfindel grinned when the child got to his feet, rubbing his tailbone.  
  
"Falling is easy, Elladan. It is landing that is hard, but you can learn to do so without hurting yourself." The twins pondered this.  
  
"I want to learn how to fall," Elladan said. "But first I want to go hunting!" Elrohir nodded. Glorfindel caught Elrond's eye and the Lord of Imladris smiled. The hunting trip was all they had been talking about since Glorfindel had told them about it the night before.  
  
"Then you had best go before it gets late," Elrond teased. The twins exchanged horrified looks and grabbed Glorfindel by the hands. "I will see you at supper!" Elrond called as his sons dragged his friend down the path.  
  
***  
  
They were not really hunting. The seven year old twins had not yet begun lessons with the bow and Glorfindel carried no hunting weapons. Instead he was teaching them how to track their prey and approach close enough to shoot without alerting the animal to their presence.  
  
Elladan and Elrohir followed Glorfindel for half an hour, practicing moving silently without disturbing the fallen leaves or breaking small twigs. Then he stopped and crouched near a patch of bare earth. The twins dropped to their knees beside him and gazed up expectantly. Glorfindel pointed to faint impressions in the dirt.  
  
"Look there."  
  
"A deer," Elladan whispered loudly, already having been told numerous times to lower his voice. Glorfindel nodded. "Can we hunt it?"  
  
"Only if you are very patient. See how worn the tracks are? They are over three days old. You would be quite hungry before you caught it." Both twins giggled at that. "But even if they were fresher we would not hunt this deer."  
  
"Why?" Elrohir asked, suddenly very solemn.  
  
"The tracks will tell you. Look closely." The twins were quiet for a few minutes, examining the ground intently. At last Elladan looked up.  
  
"It is a doe."  
  
"It is, but that is not why."  
  
Elrohir drew his breath sharply and pointed. "She has a fawn!" The elfling had found the small set of tracks beside the doe's.  
  
"Very good, Elrohir. If we hunted the mother, her fawn would be left all alone."  
  
"No ada or ammë?" Elladan wondered aloud. "It would be very sad."  
  
"Yes," Glorfindel said gravely. "It would probably die." Elrohir looked as if he were going to cry in sympathy with the fawn's hypothetical pain. Glorfindel put an arm around him and drew him close even as Elladan tugged at his sleeve.  
  
"Look, Glorfy, more tracks." Glorfindel looked down and saw the barely visible hoofprints to the other side of those of the doe. He checked to see whether they had been made by the same fawn, then smiled.  
  
"They are twins, just like you."  
  
***  
  
Glorfindel and the sons of Elrond followed the deer's tracks for a while longer until they reached a small stream. The boys were hot from walking and soon convinced Glorfindel to stop and play in the water. All three took off their shoes and waded in the shallow, sluggish stream.  
  
Splashing and chasing fish entertained them for a time, but it was not long before Elladan grew bored and jumped up onto the bank to explore. His gaze landed on a large boulder as tall as a small cliff, a remnant of a massive rockslide from the Misty Mountains ages ago.  
  
"'Ro, look at that! It is as big as a mountain." Still in the water, Elrohir glanced up.  
  
"It is not so big." He was irritated with his brother, for Elladan's shout had startled the minnow he had been about to catch. Elrohir's scorn angered Elladan and he lashed out in return.  
  
"It is enormous. I do not think you could climb it." Not one to back down from a challenge from his brother, Elrohir left the water and approached him.  
  
"Yes I can and I will, too." He looked to Glorfindel. "May I try?" Glorfindel, who had been relaxing in the shade of a tree as he watched the twins play, unexpectedly found himself in the middle of the argument. He eyed the rock and then the elfling.  
  
"You may," he said at last. "But you must be careful."  
  
"I will." Elrohir put his shoes on and dashed to the rock, which was over twice Glorfindel's height. He stared up at it, seeking the best way to the top. A tree had sprouted long ago near the boulder, and had grown right up against its side. Together the tree and the rock formed a series of hand and foot holds, and Elrohir began his climb.  
  
Glorfindel moved so that he was beneath the elfling and watched his slow but steady progress. Elrohir was nearly at the top when Glorfindel felt the first tug on his tunic.  
  
"In a moment, Elladan." The tugging grew more insistent.  
  
"Glorfy.." Without taking his eyes from Elrohir, Glorfindel pushed Elladan's hand away.  
  
"Not yet, Elladan." The frustrated elfling grabbed Glorfindel's fingers.  
  
"But Glorfindel.." The blond elf squeezed Elladan's hand, asking for patience. At last Elrohir reached his destination and crawled onto the flat top of the rock.  
  
"Very good, Elrohir," Glorfindel praised and turned to Elladan, whom he could no longer ignore. "What is it?" Elladan pulled him away to the stream and pointed silently across the water. Glorfindel could not see what had caught the elfling's attention and knelt to look from his viewpoint. He followed Elladan's gaze and found patches of brown just visible through the trees. They were deer, a doe with two fawns.  
  
"Are they the same ones we were hunting?" Elladan whispered.  
  
"It is possible."  
  
***  
  
Atop his perch, Elrohir did not know what had distracted Glorfindel and Elladan. He was simply annoyed that he had climbed all that way and no one cared. Wanting to know what they saw, he moved on hands and knees to the edge and leaned over.  
  
***  
  
Glorfindel did not notice anything amiss until he heard a panicked shriek. He leapt to his feet and spun around in time to watch Elrohir tumble off the rock. His stomach twisted and time both slowed and quickened at once. Elrohir's cry was joined by Elladan's frightened scream and the doe nosed her fawns away from the river, all three vanishing into the brush. Glorfindel lunged forward, racing to catch the falling child, but did not- could not-move fast enough. Elrohir hit the ground and was silent.  
  
His heart pounding, Glorfindel knelt beside him and put a hand on his back. Elrohir's eyes were half open and unfocused in his dazed state. Then they grew wider and he began to look frantic as he struggled to regain the breath knocked from his body. Elladan hovered near the blond elf's shoulder, something Glorfindel was only just aware of as he rubbed Elrohir's back, checking for injuries and encouraging him to breathe.  
  
At last Elrohir took a ragged breath, and another, gasping for air. Soon he was sobbing and Glorfindel lifted him into his arms, cuddling him against his chest. One hand tightly gripped the front of Glorfindel's tunic and the other dangled limply at what Glorfindel recognized as an awkward angle. Tears soaked into the soft fabric of his tunic in two places and Glorfindel suddenly wished he had more arms.  
  
When Elrohir's cries had faded to distressed whimpers, Glorfindel settled him on his lap and pulled Elladan close for a much needed embrace. After a minute he released Elladan and focused again on Elrohir. The younger twin was scraped and bruised and he lifted tear filled eyes to Glorfindel's.  
  
"I want Ada," he said plaintively, and began to cry again.  
  
"I know. I will get you home as soon as I can." Glorfindel took Elrohir's left arm and gently touched his wrist, eliciting a sharp yelp. "Elladan, please bring me my cloak." Elladan jumped to his feet, glad for something to do, and darted away, returning quickly with the requested item.  
  
Glorfindel shifted Elrohir and allowed the elfling to lean against him while he ripped off a strip of long, grey cloth. He deftly wound it about Elrohir's arm and shoulders, fashioning a sling for support and restraint. The rest of the cloak he wrapped around Elrohir's trembling body. Satisfied then that he had done all he could to make the elfling comfortable, Glorfindel scooped him up and stood, holding Elrohir in his arms like a baby.  
  
"We are going home, little one," he said softly, hoping to soothe him. "Soon your ada will make you better." He turned to the other twin. "Elladan, do you think you can find the path?" The unusually subdued elfling nodded silently. "Lead the way then." Elladan's eyes went wide with the thought of being given such an important task and he carried it out in all seriousness, walking ahead and making sure Glorfindel could see him.  
  
***  
  
The trip back seemed never-ending. Elrohir still hurt and every sound of pain he made tore at Glorfindel's heart. By the time they reached the main path and Imladris proper came into sight, Glorfindel was ready to cry with relief.  
  
"Elladan," he said, surprised at how sure and calm his own voice sounded. "Go to the house and fetch your adar." Elladan nodded and ran off, Glorfindel following at the same slow pace as before so as not to hurt Elrohir, who had already been jostled enough and was whimpering near continuously.  
  
"We are almost there, 'Ro. Just a little longer." He felt Elrohir's fingers tighten on his tunic and bent his head to kiss the elfling's hair. "Almost there." The sound of swift footsteps a moment later was most welcome, as was the sight of the best healer in Middle Earth.  
  
"I brought Ada and Ammë, Glorfy!" Elladan cried, proud of all he had done to help his brother and Glorfindel. Glorfindel smiled weakly, still worried for the elfling he carried. Celebrían restrained her eldest and stood back while Elrond continued to Elrohir.  
  
As a father and healer, Elrond's concern was double, but the hand he placed on Elrohir's forehead was steady. Gently, he took the boy from Glorfindel and cradled him as the blond elf had. Elrohir moaned softly at the movement and Elrond murmured a few soothing words. Standing close, Glorfindel could sense the power radiating from the Elf-lord as Elrond sent strength into his wounded son.  
  
"Ada?" Elrohir whispered.  
  
"Yes, my son. I am here." The child turned his head and buried his face in his father's robe, his tears beginning anew. Elrond went back the way he had come, taking Elrohir to his room for proper healing. Celebrían walked after them with an arm around Elladan's shoulders to keep him settled and to reassure herself that she still had one son who was well.  
  
Glorfindel stood rooted to the path, watching them go. His arms felt strangely empty and he realized he was shaking. Worry and a sense of failed responsibility weighed heavily upon him, and when he finally moved he did not follow them, but fled to his own study.  
  
He pushed the door shut, but already striding across the room to the window, did nothing when it did not close all the way. Placing his hands on the sill, he stared out without seeing, oblivious to the impressive view or the warm rays of the late afternoon sun.  
  
***  
  
When the last light of the setting sun was straining to brighten the room, Glorfindel was sitting in his chair and resting his head in his arms on the desk. Lost in thought, he did not hear the light knock or the soft creak of the opening door.  
  
"Glorfindel?" It was Elrond's voice that finally reached him and caused him to lift his head. His friend was standing in front of the desk, holding a bundle of folded cloth in one arm.  
  
"Elrohir?" Glorfindel asked. Elrond leaned across the desk and put a reassuring hand on his arm.  
  
"Is well. He is sleeping now and not in pain." Glorfindel nodded, thankful that the elfling's ordeal was over. He stood and walked to the window, surprised to see how late it was. Elrond joined him. "What troubles you, my friend?" There was a pause as Glorfindel sorted through his thoughts and decided which he could admit.  
  
"I have been in battle many times, Elrond. I have seen hundreds of wounds and deaths. But I would have seen a thousand more than see Elrohir get hurt. I would rather I were injured than have him be in pain." Glorfindel folded his arms across his chest and gazed out at the woods, remembering how he had carried the elfling home. "If I could have spared him that.."  
  
Elrond put a hand on Glorfindel's shoulder, his touch breaking the other elf of his thoughts. Glorfindel looked over at him and did not understand why Elrond was smiling.  
  
"You speak as a father would, Glorfindel, for you are as much a parent to Elladan and Elrohir as Celebrían and I. We need not worry when they are with you, but trust that you will care for them as we would." Glorfindel dropped his gaze to the floor.  
  
"I have failed that trust," he admitted. "I failed you and Celebrían.and Elrohir."  
  
"No, Glorfindel."  
  
"I was not watching him. If you had been there-"  
  
"He would still have fallen. Accidents happen." Elrond grinned. "Especially when the twin terrors are involved."  
  
Glorfindel smirked. "They truly are your sons, Elrond."  
  
Elrond's mischievous smile softened. "Aye, they are." He put an arm around Glorfindel's shoulders. "Celebrían and I do not blame you, and neither does Elrohir. Do not blame yourself."  
  
Several moments of companionable silence followed, until Glorfindel poked Elrond in the ribs. He pointed to the rolled up cloth.  
  
"What is that?" Elrond smiled and handed it to Glorfindel.  
  
"Your cloak. It seems to have had an accident as well." Glorfindel shook out the fabric and ran a finger along the torn edge.  
  
"Nay, it was sacrificed for the greater good."  
  
A knock sounded then, seconds before the half closed door was pushed widely open and Elladan bounded in.  
  
"Ada, 'Ro is awake!" Elrond gave Glorfindel a quick squeeze.  
  
"Come. He will want to see you."  
  
***  
  
Elrohir looked small and pale in his bed surrounded by pillows and blankets. His left arm was wrapped and propped on a cushion, scratches still stood out on his face, and several bruises were well underway, but he smiled when he saw his father and Glorfindel.  
  
Elladan ducked around the adult elves and ran for the bed, prevented from jumping onto it only by Glorfindel's quick reflexes. He scooped him up and passed him to Celebrían, who had joined them from a chair at Elrohir's side.  
  
"Glorfy," Elrohir called softly and stretched his good arm out for a hug. Glorfindel sat on the edge of the bed and obliged with a gentle cuddle. "I am sorry I was not careful," Elrohir whispered in his ear. Glorfindel pulled back and stroked his dark hair comfortingly.  
  
"No, child, it was not your fault." He flicked his gaze briefly to Elrond before returning it to the elfling. "Accidents happen." Elrohir smiled and once again all was right in Imladris.  
  
***  
  
The End 


End file.
